Miss Me
by nishiqueeno
Summary: Nishikino Maki has been sent a scholarship to a boarding school, and she takes the chance to escape the set future of becoming a doctor. She doesn't intend on wanting to stay at Otonokizaka for long, but through the people she meet and the relationships she form, things don't go the way she had planned. [NicoMaki, NozoEli, RinPana, KotoUmi, TsubaHono] AU, multichapter.
1. Prologue: Welcome to Otonokizaka

_Prologue: Welcome to Otonokizaka_

* * *

It wasn't that Maki didn't like school; it was more like she didn't need it.

She never needed much, really: food, water and music were basically everything she ever needed. Her grades were something significant, too, though to the redhead, it was all unnecessary. Everything was.

And Maki had wanted to decline the scholarship to a boarding school eight hours away from home.

Her parents had been unable to decide, too. Scholarship meant best for their daughter, but best for their daughter meant no one to take over their hospital. Maki took note of this; if she could enter the boarding school, she could become the musician she had always wanted to be.

She could, for once, be away from the place she had felt so trapped in.

* * *

The first day of actual lessons started in a week, and Maki decided that one week would be more than enough time to get used to the environment. While she had to admit she felt the slightest bit guilty for not missing her parents, the fifteen-year-old knew she'd miss the comfort of her previous house.

As Maki sat in the back of a cab, she glanced out of the window, noticing the large structure coming into view. "Is that…"

"That's 'yer school, missy," the taxi driver confirmed, toying with the unlit cigarette in his mouth. Maki shifted her gaze to him, eyes narrowing at his heavy Kansai accent. "About ten more minutes 'til we get there."

Maki nodded, remaining silent. What was the school like? Were the students there nice? Would she make new friends? She cringed at the thought of having to interact daily with others; she was never much of a social person.

The redhead faced the window, eyes wandering over the scenery stretched across kilometers, far beyond what her vision could reach. She noticed all the little things along the road: a house without a doorbell, a bird with an injured wing, a stray cat on the top of a fence post. Amethyst eyes began to droop; fingers clenched on the door handle loosened.

The car pulled to a stop; Maki's eyelids shot back open. Despite feeling drowsy only several minutes ago, the fifteen-year-old was now wide awake.

"We're here, missy."

"Yeah." Maki stepped out of the cab, "Thank you for the ride." She reached into her pocket for her wallet, handing the driver several notes. "Keep the change," Maki reassured, though in truth did not want to waste time waiting for him to return the excess money she had given.

The taxi driver grinned, "Thanks, missy. And I know that I'm in no place to tell you, but," he paused for a moment, opening the taxi boot, "I hope you enjoy your new school."

* * *

 _Go to Student Services. Go to Student Services. Go to Student Services._

Maki clenched her fist as she made a left turn, gulping when the building with the letters 'SSO' on the door came into view. _Go to the Student Services Office when you arrive_ , she was told.

Maki pushed the door open.

If she was frank, Maki had thought that this was a posh, high-class school for students with good grades and talents; the exterior of the school told her this much. But when her violet orbs met the wide, bright grin of the woman standing behind the desk, she definitely decided otherwise.

Maybe, just maybe, she could enjoy herself here.

"Welcome to Otonokizaka!"


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

* * *

"You're Nishikino Maki, am I right?"

The bright smile on the woman's face was hard not to return. Maki smiled shyly, "Yes, you're right."

"Good! Now, my name is Ichinose! I'm in charge of the Student Services Office. Which means," Ichinose paused to step out from behind the desk, "I'll be taking you on the tour around the school!"

* * *

Maki followed Ichinose, walking through the endless corridors, watching the woman's curly brown hair sway as she walked.

"So, Maki-san, where are you from?"

"Y-You know that already, don't you?" Maki replied, knowing it was a bit rude to answer that way. Still, Ichinose was in charge of the student service, right? Wouldn't she know?

Ichinose laughs, "That's right. But it's a good way to start a conversation, isn't it?"

"Oh," Maki looked down. "Sorry."

"That's fine." Even with her back turned to her, the redhead could hear the gentle smile in Ichinose's voice. "Anyways, in case you're wondering why there's no one here, it's 'cause everyone went back home for the holidays."

Maki wondered for a moment whether this lady could read her mind, before shaking the thought out of her head.

"Almost everyone, that is," Ichinose adds, stopping in front of a door. Maki stood beside her. "The person you're sharing a dorm with is the newest student here; she transferred here six months ago."

The brown-haired woman knocked, to which a voice replied, "Come in!"

Ichinose pushed the door open. Maki peered inside, eyes settling on the purple-haired girl sitting in front of a small coffee table, a deck of cards set down before her.

"Tojo Nozomi," she greeted before the redhead could get a word out. Maki noticed Ichinose had already left. "I hope we can get along, Nishikino-san!"

* * *

"So, you're from Sapporo?"

Maki nodded. She could barely get a word in the conversation, though it wasn't that she minded all that much. Nozomi was a nice person from what she had learnt so far, and Maki appreciated that.

The fifteen-year-old knew she had to talk at one point. "What year are you in, Tojo-san?"

"I'm a second year," Nozomi chuckled, "but come the new school term, then I'll be your senpai!"

"Ah." Maki couldn't help the redness that crept up her face. "S-Should I call you Tojo-senpai?"

"No, call me Nozomi." The second year smiled. "Maki-chan."

 _Already?_ Maki wondered, but instead chose to not question the other girl's informality.

"A-Alright."

Both girls sat in silence for several minutes before Nozomi spoke up again, "You should start to unpack, Maki-chan. That bed over there is yours." She pointed to the top bunk. "I hope you don't mind."

Maki shook her head, tightening the grip on her bag as she made her way to the bunk bed.

"After all," Nozomi stated slowly, and the redhead turned around to face her. The purple-haired girl drew a card from her deck.

The Magician.

* * *

"New students like you should be arriving soon."

Nozomi's voice was the first thing she heard in the morning. Maki jolted awake, her sight greeting bright light as soon as her eyelids lifted. Was it morning already? She must have fallen asleep without feeling the least bit homesick.

"Oh," Maki yawned, rubbing her eye sleepily. Nozomi laughed, "Good morning, Maki-chan."

While the redhead felt slightly unsettled by the older girl's informality, she figured it was part of Nozomi's personality. "Morning."

Maki watched as her roommate looked at her phone. "Ah, Hanayo-chan should be arriving today. She's my cousin," Nozomi added thoughtfully, "though not by blood."

"Is she also a–" A sharp knock on the door interrupted the new student. "You two, get up!" Maki identified the voice as Ichinose's. "Koizumi is here!"

Nozomi let her phone slip into her pocket, reaching for the door to pull it open. "Good morning, Marika-chan!"

The purple-haired girl left the room before Ichinose could get word out. Maki sighed, "Is she always like that?"

Ichinose only laughed. "Nozomi may seem strangely creepy and enthusiastic at first, but wait till you get your fortune told by her, Maki-san!"

 _Fortune?_ Maki wondered, though didn't press the issue. "I'd like to see the rest of the school today, if you don't mind."

The older woman smiled her usual bright grin, "Of course!"

* * *

Maki had to admit; the grounds of a boarding school were different compared to her old school back in Sapporo.

The redhead walked in silence as Ichinose led her around, pointing to and explaining various buildings in the school. Maki nodded unconsciously to each sentence, thinking about how lessons here were going to be.

"…see Koizumi and Nozomi-san over there, we should head over."

"Huh?" Maki faced where Ichinose was pointing, "Yeah. Okay."

It wasn't long before both Nozomi and the brunette beside her were face-to-face with Maki, and she found herself feeling secondhand embarrassment from the latter. "H-Hello. I'm K-Koizumi Hanayo…"

"Sorry, what." Maki hadn't intended on sounding so blunt, though with Koizumi's voice barely audible, the redhead was having a hard time listening.

"K-Koizumi Hanayo…"

"Nishikino Maki."

"N-Nishikino-san, nice to meet you…"

"Likewise."

Nozomi had obviously sensed the tension; she spoke up before Maki could ask if Hanayo always stuttered when talking, "Oh, Nicocchi is coming later today!"

"Oh, Nico-chan!" Maki raised an eyebrow at the brunette – she _swore_ Hanayo had just changed personalities. Then again, the first year to-be had no say in the suspicion.

Maki had no idea who this 'Nico' was, and frankly, knew no one in the school. "Is she a new student as well?"

Red eyebrows furrowed when Nozomi didn't answer, "Oh, never mind, she's here already!"

Ichinose chuckled, watching as Nozomi, Hanayo and Maki headed off to the school entrance.

This year would no doubt be an interesting one.

* * *

Maki didn't know what to expect from the new arrival, though she definitely did not expect someone a _whole two heads shorter than her_. The redhead swallowed the dry remark that threatened to escape the confines of her throat; she didn't want to make a bad impression so quickly.

"Whaaaat?" the short girl whined the moment Nozomi and Hanayo approached her, Maki lagging behind. She was _pretty_ sure Otonokizaka was a boarding school for high school students, not a kindergarten. "Rin isn't coming?!"

Maki watched Hanayo shake her head, "No, Rin-chan got sent a scholarship to the school she wanted to go to, and…"

"Poo," Shortie cursed, dropping her bag. "And I thought I would have a fun junior this year."

Maki froze. _Junior?_

"Oh, new girl!" the black-haired short one called out. Said girl grumbled in response, not liking the new nickname.

"Ah, Maki-chan!" Nozomi's smile was strangely unsettling. "This is Nicocchi."

"N-Nishikino Maki."

"Hpmh. Is she, like, a third year transfer student or something. Because, you know she's tall–"

"–and you're short–" Nozomi interrupts.

" –and bustier than me–"

"–and you're flat chested–"

"–that's because you're just an evil boob monster, Nozomi!" Nico nearly shrieked. As quickly as she lost it, the twin-tailed girl regained her composure, coughing drily.

"Yazawa Nico, a third year at Otonokizaka!" Nico announced proudly. Maki stared at her. She was pretty sure that if she tried to question her size, the black-haired girl would have another outburst, thus deciding to nod in acknowledgement instead.

"You're giving me, like, that really weird look, Nishikino," Nico scoffed, folding her arms, "The kind of look people give me when they find out I'm older than them."

"No, that's not–" Maki attempted to defend herself before realising that Nico _was_ right; she hadn't guessed that a girl at such a height could be two years older than her.

"Liar," Nico snorted, huffing.

The only retort that Maki could think of was, "Sure, _Nico-senpai_."

The older girl gaped in shock, fist tightening on her bag. "I'm going to my dorm," she growled, leaving the redhead with Nozomi and Hanayo.

Maki knew she already had an enemy.

* * *

"How'd you like it here so far, Maki-chan?"

"Eh, it's fine." If Maki was honest, she felt like whatever neutral feelings she had towards this school and the people in it were gone. All because of the stupid twin-tailed girl.

Nozomi had seen right through her. "You're thinking about Nicocchi, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the redhead grumbled, climbing up onto the top bunk. "I'm going to sleep."

"Suit yourself," the older girl chuckled, flicking the light switch. "Good night, Maki-chan."

If there was something Maki had not expected to wake up to, it was to the abrupt shaking of the. She almost regretted peering down; there really wasn't much to do but stare when your roommate makes out with a blonde you've never seen before in the room _you were in as well_. Maki shuddered: Nozomi had a lover? _Who even was she?_

The blonde was the first to notice the redhead, immediately jumping off Nozomi in surprise. "Oh my god! Nozomi, you never told me you had a roommate!"

The purple-haired girl didn't reply, yawning, "Ah, good morning, Maki-chan."

Flustered, Maki did the only thing that came to mind, "I-I'll go now."

"Shall we continue, Elicchi?"

Maki had never run so fast.

* * *

"You look a mess."

Maki glared at the other occupant in the room. Red eyes looked right back at her. Nico shoved another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"None of your business," Maki grumbled, taking a seat beside the older girl.

"What, Eli came back in the middle of the night and is now making out with Nozomi in your room?" Nico chuckled, though stopped chewing when Maki didn't respond. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"Um." Maki smiled awkwardly. How she had ended up in the canteen she had no idea, but now she sat in silence with a short girl two years older than her, wishing that she had more social skills.

Nico was first to break the silence. "Want some cereal?"


End file.
